Twist of Fate
by Tiffamee
Summary: Karin - boss from hell. Gaara - irresistible redhead. Her life - seventeen years of tortuous labour and elbow grease. Average teen. Average girl - 'cept for the pink hair. But that will all change for Sakura when she becomes a star. AU. -myfirstfic-
1. Cookies?

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**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto. Belongs to the ingenious Masashi Kishimoto.

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**Chapter One**

"Sakura Haruno, if you value your job, get your ass here _now_!"

The pink haired girl grimaced at the shrill voice. Be out of sight for half a minute, then Karin the boss would breath fire at you like a dragon. Sighing, Sakura complied reluctantly as she walked out of the bathroom with one last look at the mirror: tousled pink hair that was tied up into a messy bun, a scruffy apron that was coated with stains and dark rings that encircled jade eyes.

Black boots (that Sakura thought she could never afford) tapped the floor impatiently. Karin huffed with an irritable expression on her face, readjusting her glasses against the bridge of her nose. From experience, Sakura knew that she was about to get her daily dose of rebuke (and spit) from Karin.

"I don't pay you to slack off, you know. Now stop being useless and get back to your station," she snapped. "Don't let me catch you anywhere else, Haruno. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Sakura muttered dryly.

Life was tough when you had two jobs and a skank for an employer, but Sakura had to manage. To stay in the prestigious Konoha High and to help with family finance, she had part time jobs at _Karin's Bakery Café _and _Hyuuga Music_. _Hyuuga Music_ was a branch of prominent music superstores that were major instrument retailers - its CEO was none other than Hiashi Hyuuga, the father of Sakura's prosperous classmate, Hinata. As for _Karin's Bakery Café_… well, the name says it all.

Sakura watched the redhead walk off, resisting the urge to pummel her to death. If she weren't desperate for some cash, she wouldn't have hesitated to rearrange her face. Tenten, her fellow worker and good friend, sidled up to the pinkette's side.

"She's a bitch," Tenten said under her breath.

"Bitch is an understatement," Sakura said frowning, squirting icing on some cupcakes. "And she _has_ to pick on me."

Tenten shook her head and grinned mischievously. Sakura stopped from her icing-squirting and looked up. When Tenten grinned like this, it meant that something good was about to happen – typically something that involved Karin in pain. "Don't look all sad. I have a little something that'll cheer you up. I called Suigetsu in for a favour."

"Really?" Sakura asked, a broad smile gracing her lips, "You never fail to surprise me, Tenten. What did you tell him to do?"

"Look."

Sakura glanced towards where Tenten gestured. Karin was sitting out under the café's patio when Suigetsu, the gardener from next door "accidentally" sprayed water from the hose all over her. The girls watched, fighting off uncontrollable laughter as Karin shrieked, her clothes drenched. The pair was caught in a silent laughing fit, hardly able to keep their giggles to themselves. But their small parade was short-lived as Karin cried, "HARUNO!"

After mopping the floor, cleaning the dishes (although they were already cleaned in the first place), wiping the tables, picking up Karin's laundry, scrubbing the permanently stained kitchen walls, passing out flyers under the hot afternoon sun, wiping the windows, cleansing the toilet and replacing light-bulbs as punishment for the Suigetsu scheme that somehow involved her, Sakura wanted to pass out.

She thought the day would never come when her shift actually ended. She looked at the clock like it was heaven. What could possibly ruin this moment?

"Haruno, not just yet." Ah yes, her. Sakura cringed at Karin's voice. What did she want now?

"You're in luck. Remember that delivery service we discussed? Well, we got our first call. You can have the honours of transporting our first delivery… using the bike, of course," Karin said nastily.

"But my shift is--"

"Not over. You're lucky you're still in my employment after today, Haruno. Do the delivery if you want to see your next paycheck."

-

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"Gaara, you were up already, _jan_?" a disoriented Kankuro grumbled, his hair tangled from slumber, still dressed in his pajamas. He rubbed the back of his head subconsciously. "Come on, it's summer. Who wakes up before this time?"

"Hn." The redhead decided to ignore the remark from his brunette brother and spoke quietly. "It's already past noon."

"Oh," Kankuro chuckled briskly, "Well, at least I didn't wake up at _dinner_."

Black rings encircled Gaara's eyes, showing signs of insomnia. He placed his half-empty cup of coffee onto their glass table and sighed. He just had another all-nighter after a rather edgy "discussion" with their father from Suna. It wasn't even a proper conference as they discussed the matters over the phone very hastily. _Probably in a hurry to fuck his latest girlfriend, _Gaara thought darkly.

Kankuro eyed his younger brother and winced. Guilt surged into him as he realized he was incapable of easing Gaara's pain. But what could he do? It was their cruel, loveless father they were disputing with here. The role of comforting the two brothers usually belonged to their sister Temari, but she wasn't here right now, which meant that it was Kankuro's turn. Unlike Temari, Kankuro wasn't a _girl_, therefore he believed that it was only natural he was clueless at these things. The only problem now - what to do. Give him a hug? _Yeah, and get punched in the face,_ Kankuro mused bitterly. Silence slipped into the room.

"I better go now," Gaara mumbled, his pale hands dipping into the dark jeans' pockets, fumbling for keys. Kankuro snapped out of his thoughts and forged a smile.

"And where're you going?"

"For a drive." He proceeded to the towering front doors of their luxurious mansion. Yes, that was it. A drive could always take his mind off of things. Things like failing to be acknowledged by their father who worked all the way over in Suna, shipping his children off to Konoha so he could have more "space" and- _stop thinking about it,_ Gaara growled inwardly.

"Gaara, aren't you forgetting to say goodbye to someone?"

A black kitten meowed unwillingly as Kankuro picked him up, threatening with its small furry paws whilst it hissed in protest.

"At least now we know _two_ of us here aren't balls of sunshine," Kankuro teased. He held the raven kitten in front of Gaara, as if the feline really wanted a farewell.

The corner of the redhead's lips rose ever so slightly, but it was still pegged as a smile. He sighed in defeat after looking at Kankuro's persistent demonstration. "Bye, Kuroari."

Kuroari meowed in return.

-

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Sakura pumped the pedals of the infernal bike vigorously, sweat pouring down the side of her face. She cursed Karin as she blurred past pedestrians in a whoosh. _When I find another job, I'm quitting this one in a flash_, Sakura thought sourly. She slowed down as the scenery around her adapted into a greener environment. Ah, it was the wealthy district of Konoha, homes of Sakura's many classmates. She tried to hide her face – she didn't want to be recognized by anyone from school, although her blatant pink hair would neglect her efforts anyways.

Magnificent houses shone under the glistening sun as Sakura squinted, trying to identify the customer's house. Who the hell would order so many cookies and biscuits? Instantly, an image of some old ladies sipping tea with their pinkies high up in the air popped into Sakura's mind. Whoever they were, they better give her a decent amount of tip. She needed to earn as much as she could before summer—

BANG!!

Pain surged into Sakura's head as she came into contact with something very hard. Her body thudded against the bike as cookies poured onto the road. When she opened her eyes, she saw a tall figure coming out of a sleek black Lamborghini (apparently it was the "something" that she crashed into), and a few stars. Shakily, she pushed herself off of the ground, standing up feebly.

Then she froze.

A stunning redhead with brilliant green eyes stood before of her, silhouetting against the bright sky. A tattoo of a kanji was on the left side of his forehead. He had a handsome face and a well-built form. Trying to hide her sudden fondness for the teenage boy, she returned back to where she was – panicking.

The cookies.

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Gaara had hardly driven past five houses when he slowed down at a stoplight, which was when some pink blur out of nowhere collided with the front of his car. He was anxious about whether the person was injured, but his worry died when he saw a girl's figure getting up.

The girl looked fatigued, with eye bags (although not as big as his) and dry skin. She stared at him for a moment before dropping her weight to the ground like a stone, picking up the cookies frantically, like they were diamonds. He looked more closely and realized she was bleeding slightly on the head.

"Um," he began awkwardly, "Are you okay?"

No reply. The _pink_-headed girl slapped herself on the forehead, seemingly in hysterics, before realizing that blood was on her palm from where she just touched. For a brief moment, Gaara wondered if that pink hair was actually natural. He shook that trivial thought away, appalled as her eyes rolled up and closed, head leaning against the car's headlights.

Before Sakura knew it, she was hurtling into an awaiting world of darkness…

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**A/N: **Dun-dun-dun! Cliffhanger!! So what do you guys think? This is supposedly my first fic, lol. Drop a comment, review, opinion or anything. Constructive criticism is welcome. :D


	2. Sabaku's Residence

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**A/N**: Hihihi, here comes chapter two. Please take a few moments of your precious time to drop a review? It'll make my day:D Thank you to the ones who reviewed the last chapter ^^

(Gaara's last name isn't Sabaku, but let's improvise for the story…)

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**Chapter Two**

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. Her pupils diluted as bright golden light filled her vision. She sat up and immediately wished she hadn't. Her head felt heavy and sore, not to mention there was a slight sting on her forehead. A blur of red and brown hovered above her, until she focused and noticed they were people. Two guys. She recognized the striking redheaded boy and recalled what happened – her heart filled with panic once more.

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When Gaara burst through the front doors of the Sabaku residence with a _girl, _yes – a _girl_, in his arms, Kankuro's toothbrush fell out of his mouth. His first thoughts were: _how can Gaara get a girl before _me_?_ _Is this a joke?_ After all, it wasn't everyday when Gaara brought home a girl, or _anyone_, apart from that blonde loudmouth friend of his - Naruto. But he shook those thoughts away as Gaara grumbled, "Kankuro, I could use some help here."

Kankuro hurried over, sprinting down the spiral staircase to his brother, whom was carrying an apparently unconscious pink-headed girl bridal-style.

"Whutthehellhappened?" Kankuro mumbled, toothpaste still in his mouth. Gaara had left the house for less than five minutes before returning with this… surprise.

"Rammed into my car at a stoplight with her bike," Gaara stated. They deposited the pinkette on the living room sofa before running over to grab a first-aid box. Gaara took a quick glance at the girl – a few minor scratches, but the only prominent injury was the one above her eyes that was bleeding with some skin scraped off.

"Should we call an ambulance?" Gaara asked, trying to mask the uncertainty in his voice with a calm, nonchalant tone.

Kankuro checked her pulse and sighed heavily with relief. He had gotten rid of the toothpaste by now. "No, I think she's alright. She just passed out from being too tired, judging by the looks of her eyes… and cycling in this weather can easily dehydrate you… She'd probably wake up soon." With that, Kankuro laid a piece of wet towel on her head.

Gaara relaxed a little, reassured by Kankuro's words. There were perks when you were the children of Mr Sabaku, the head of Suna Hospital. Plus, all three of the Sabaku siblings were training to be doctors ever since their mother died from a certain disease, or so their father claimed. He forbade them to ask anymore on the grim topic. Gaara was always secretly curious though, as he couldn't remember anything about their deceased mother…

Gaara snapped out of his train of thought as the pink-headed girl shifted, regaining consciousness. Sluggishly, she rose and blinked. She looked at sea for a moment, but her eyes filled with panic almost immediately.

"Where the hell am I?" For someone who was just unconscious, Gaara thought she was rather loud.

"Calm down, _jan_," Kankuro soothed. "I believe you crashed into my brother's car with your bike."

"Oh," Sakura paled at the memory. "Sorry about that…"

Gaara "hn"ed in return. It didn't matter – there was hardly any damage done. A paint job would do the trick nicely. He sighed with relief – the girl didn't seem to have lost too much brain cells. Now, if she would only go away… he still wanted a drive.

"Shit!" The brothers were jolted at the sudden shout from her. Sakura buried her head in her hands, noticing that someone had kindly placed a bandage on the place where it stung. "My delivery…" She groaned in frustration.

Kankuro and Gaara stood there awkwardly, not quite knowing what they should do. "Eh… I got your bike in the trunk," Gaara offered.

"Screw the bike… It's not even mine. I'm gonna lose my job," Sakura sighed. "I'm supposed to deliver those cookies to some Mr Sabaku who lives on this street somewhere--"

Gaara perked at the name and glanced at Kankuro inquisitively. The brunette smiled sheepishly and rubbed his head.

"That would be me," Kankuro interrupted. He looked at Gaara's disgruntled appearance and raised his hands in surrender, "Don't look at me like that! I was hungry! Besides, Kuroari likes cookies."

"You?" Sakura stopped herself as she was about to ask whom Kuroari was. How ironic. On the bright side, at least she found the right address. Or the address found her.

"I'm sorry about your delivery… and the trouble I've caused." Sakura said miserably. "Thanks for this, Mr Sabaku." She pointed at the bandage on her head.

Kankuro laughed lightly. "Oh, it's nothing, don't sweat it. Call me Kankuro. This is Gaara."

"Sakura… Haruno." Sakura decided to put in her last name as a matter of courtesy. After all, she had wrecked their car, road killed their cookies and made them go through all this trouble. This was what you get for being a klutz, Sakura thought.

She looked around the house for the first time. Air-conditioned, a huge chandelier dangling from above, a spiral staircase that led to a second floor, spacious area and… was that a black kitten she spotted there? She looked up at the seemingly young brunette whom was still in his pajamas. She smiled weakly.

"You should sleep more, _jan_," Kankuro added. "If you don't get more rest, you're gonna pass out again, and we don't want that happening."

Sakura blushed at how protective Kankuro sounded. Gaara refrained himself from puking – was his brother trying to flirt? Disgusting, Gaara thought. _At least don't do it in front of me._

"Um, how can I make this up to you…?" Sakura spoke, breaking the short silence. She caught Gaara's eyes and quickly broke eye contact. She slapped herself mentally for being so weak – a guy being this attractive should be against the law, she thought. Gaara crossed his arms, face impassive as usual. She looked over to the brunette, whom was quite good looking too. It took a second for Sakura to realize that she was surrounded by hotties.

Kankuro had a sudden idea. He chuckled maliciously. Oh, what a perfect opportunity this was. "Well you see, we're new here in Konoha. Haven't been here for long. Could you be so kind and show my little brother around town?"

Gaara sent Kankuro a death glare, seeing right through his evil scheme. He knew his exact intentions – they were blood-related brothers, after all. To Gaara's horror, Sakura nodded brightly and agreed. She didn't seem so tired anymore.

"No problem! I know Konoha like the back of my hand," she chirped. This was much better than paying for all that damage. She shivered at the thought of having to do so.

Kankuro smirked. If this went well, he could hire her as a housekeeper, clean their house once a week or something. That way, his little brother could finally do a little socializing with the opposite gender… He inwardly gave himself a pat on the back, at long last feeling like a responsible older brother.

"Well, off you two go! Be back before midnight, Gaara," Kankuro grinned broadly, shooing them away. Gaara growled at Kankuro in return, reluctantly walking out with Sakura leading the way. The redhead shut the door hard with a slam.

For some bizarre reason, a vase fell over and shattered as he did.

-

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Sakura made herself comfortable in the front seat of the Lamborghini. She could hardly believe her luck – maybe she wasn't going to get fired after all. The elder Sabaku seemed so kind-hearted. Silence filled the car as the redhead next to her ignited the engine.

"So Gaara, where are you from?" Sakura asked, hoping to start an engaging conversation.

"Suna."

"Oh, cool. What's it like there?"

"Sandy."

Sakura raised a brow at the monosyllabic answers from the redhead. Her (lack of) self-control got the better of her, as she was about to fire a rude question. She stopped when she realized that they were going the opposite direction from town.

"You're going the wrong way," she pointed out.

"No we're not."

"The town's _behind_ us," Sakura said exasperatedly. Her eyes softened as she detected how gorgeous Gaara looked under the sunlight with his shades on. Crazy red hair, and a kanji of _love_. Strong, firm hands gripped the wheel as he made a turn. For a moment, Sakura wondered how those strong hands would feel on her skin. She erased those thoughts immediately, knowing if she thought any further, her other self – Inner Sakura – would come out, and it wouldn't look pretty. She hid her admiration behind feigned irritation.

"We're going to the hospital."

"Oh…" Then the dead side of her brain registered what the redhead just said. "Wait. WHAT?!"

"You're still bleeding, plus you fainted. You're in no shape to show me around."

She didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted, but she was definitely pissed. Sakura looked at the rearview mirror and grimaced at how retarded she looked. The now bled-through bandage made her forehead look even bigger, if that was possible. Despite that, she felt all right.

"I'm fine," she huffed. "Now drive back. I promised your brother I would take you down town to--"

"No."

Then Sakura exploded.

Gaara was about to face her infamous wrath.

- - -


	3. Full Steam Ahead

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**Chapter Three**

The moment Gaara stepped out of his house, he had come to a decision to completely stray away from his brother's machinations. He most definitely did not require a tour around Konoha – he had already visited the town several times before. But frankly, a tour wasn't his real problem. The real difficulty? It was that pink-headed girl… what was her name again? Ah yes, Sakura Haruno. He was never the experienced one in the socializing department, and he didn't plan to become one soon either. Driving her to the hospital was the perfect scheme to get rid of her. After that, he would have to take revenge on that cat-loving brother of his…

Gaara flung on a pair of sunglasses so that Sakura wouldn't know where he was looking at. He hid his confusion when he caught her biting her bottom lip from the corner of his eye. The pinkette started shooting trivial questions at him. Why was she trying so hard to socialize? He wondered. She wasn't obliged to. Girls, Gaara decided, were weird. Especially ones with pink hair.

"We're going to the hospital," Gaara told Sakura firmly when she started fussing about. She wasn't as oblivious as he thought… Gaara stole a few more glimpses at her. The pinkette would actually look kind of cute if she put more attention to her skin and health… Then Gaara froze. The lack of sleep must've affected the way his brain processed thoughts.

"Oh… wait. WHAT?!"

"You're still bleeding, plus you fainted," he spoke calmly, in response to her angered bellow. Her cheeks had a tinge of red that put his own scarlet hair to shame. Unfortunately, Gaara didn't take that as a sign of danger. He didn't see her clench then unclench her fists either. "You're in no shape to show me around."

"I'm fine." The words sounded forced and shaky through clenched teeth. "Now drive back. I promised your brother I would take you down town to--"

He interjected her speech with an abrupt "no".

He sighed heavily. What a stubborn girl. She made him pass his limit – he had forgotten the last time when he was forced to say this many words to a stranger. Aggravating, but impressive. Maybe she could even—

But then Gaara didn't have time to think.

_**SMACK!**_

Because Sakura just slapped him right across the face.

The slap seemed to have resonated in the car as Gaara swore he could still hear it ringing in his ears. The Lamborghini came to an unexpected halt. For a moment, Gaara felt nothing. Then the next, a stinging sensation stabbed him on the right side of his face. Agonizing pain throbbed and ebbed away very slowly… but the ache was still there. He felt like one side of his face had swelled up into a balloon.

Sakura panted, chest heaving up and down. The tension in the car was suffocating. Realization sunk in as Sakura became aware of what she just did. Yes, he was gorgeous, but he totally deserved that - one should know better than to mess with Sakura Haruno… However, a small, guilty voice at the back of her mind howled incessantly, screaming, _how could you hit a hottie like that?_ She ignored it.

Sakura looked up at Gaara again, whose hand was clutching the right side of his cheek, vulnerably, if she dared say. She gulped visibly as regret and remorse finally engulfed her. She had let her temper get the better of her, _again_. She waited. For a cry. A shout. Some colourful words. _Anything_.

But Gaara remained silent.

Cars flew past in blurs; some curious heads turned to look at the stationary Lamborghini that was spotted motionless in the middle of the road. Seconds passed, but both teenagers were still rooted to the spot. No one moved.

Gaara was shocked. That fatigue, fragile girl he had met earlier on had somehow transformed into a violent pink blob that couldn't possibly be categorized as a girl. What monstrous strength. The impact of the slap caused his shades to fly out with a "ping" against the glass. He looked into the rearview mirror to find a furious, blatant red mark, in an unmistakable shape of a hand on his face. Great, another thing on him that was red.

Silence.

Sakura wished that Gaara would say something. Berate her, hit her or piss her off, because anything in the world right now seemed better than this guilt that was eating her alive.

Then a brisk knock on the car's glass window interrupted her thoughts.

It was a police officer.

Sakura's heart dropped like a stone.

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Gaara, for one moment when his sanity slipped, felt utter relief when an officer came knocking on his window. After being traumatized (although not quite over the shock yet), he was completely clueless on how to react. Part of him wanted to scream bloody murder, but thank goodness, his big ego didn't allow it. Part of him wanted to strike back at her, but he erased the thought immediately. The idea of hitting Sakura just seemed… wrong. Perhaps he was sexist…? Yes, that must've been it. Girls (normal ones, anyways) were physically weaker than men, after all.

But you couldn't blame him for not doing anything, Gaara thought defensively. It wasn't everyday when a pink-headed girl who was supposed to deliver your cat-obsessed brother's cookies go unconscious then slap you on the face with horrifying, gruesome strength. No one had ever slapped him like that, ever - aside from their father, but that was a different story.

Gaara returned back to Earth when the officer knocked more rapidly and impatiently this time, gesturing for him to roll the window down. Finally, anxiety started to fill his heart like a normal person.

"Is there a particular reason why you stopped your car in the middle of a busy road?" the officer questioned, authority booming from his silky voice. He bent down to take a better look inside the car, his dark shades reflecting the bright sunlight. Jet-black hair tied into a ponytail, arms crossed and face contorted into a frown – this guy didn't look like the pleasant type to let you off the hook easily, Gaara mused bitterly. What rotten luck.

"You see, officer," Gaara said slow and calmly, hiding his inner turmoil with a cool, composed façade. His brain operated briskly, trying to conjure up an excuse. "Me and my--"

"Itachi-kun!"

Both males looked towards the source of the squeal. Sakura plastered on an award-winning smile, inwardly thanking her luck for this piece of fluke. Itachi was the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha, her childhood friend (not to mention, crush). Itachi followed his father's footsteps, joining the Konoha's police force, experimenting with the different aspects as a cop. Seemed like he was on traffic patrol today.

"Sakura-san," he nodded, his frown softening slightly, "can you please explain this?"

Gaara's eyes widened a fraction at Sakura's acquaintance with this man and kept his fingers crossed. _Please, please, please let Sakura pull it off_, he begged privately. His face was emotionless, but if one looked close enough, they would spot eager, emerald eyes. He didn't want to be well known on the Konoha police record when he moved here for only less than a month.

"Well Itachi-kun," Sakura cleared her throat. "Gaara-kun here, uh, his relative just passed away, and he's trying to vent out his… emotions by driving!" Sakura looked impressed with herself, but Gaara didn't look too happy.

"That's why," she continued more firmly, "I'm here to make sure... he doesn't do anything dangerous. I'm trying to convince him to let me take the wheel for a while." Gaara tried not to roll his eyes, outraged by the disgraceful, scandalous lie. Was the officer seriously going to fall for that? Did she even sound convincing?

"He's really upset," Sakura mouthed to Itachi behind her hand.

"Oh." Itachi blinked behind his shades. "I'm sorry to hear about that, Gaara-san. But I think it would be best for the safety of the other drivers, and yours of course, if you let Sakura-san drive."

Enduring a scowl, Gaara unfastened his seat belt unwillingly, flung the car door open (missing Itachi narrowly), and walked towards the other side of the black vehicle. He couldn't believe it. The idiot actually fell for it, that little acting performance from Sakura. She should go get an acting career instead, Gaara thought, annoyed and relieved at the same time.

Lesson he learnt today: don't drive with Sakura Haruno in the passenger seat.

-

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"Alright, Sakura-san. I trust you not to cause anymore… trouble for the other drivers, or I won't let you go as easily next time," Itachi warned.

"There won't be a next time, Itachi-kun!" Sakura smiled brightly in the driver's seat. Itachi wasn't convinced as he already spotted a bloody bandage on Sakura's forehead. What was more, knowing her for years as his brother's friend, he had grasped that she was prone to hurting herself in many ways. He sighed and walked back to his motorcycle, hoping what he did was right.

As Itachi walked away, Sakura's smile dropped. She licked her lips nervously and started driving, hands grabbing the wheel tightly.

"Gaara-san," Sakura said quietly, "sorry about... the slap."

The redhead looked up with a poker face, and blinked for a few seconds. Sakura held her breath, awaiting his response, on tenterhooks.

"Hn."

Sakura relished a heavy sigh. She took that he accepted her apology. That simple "hn" had led her to such consolation that she started smiling without noticing. She didn't want her temper to get between her and people she could be friends with, although she wasn't quite sure about this antisocial redhead. Still, she felt obligated to apologize and wouldn't rest until she did. The pinkette directed her concentration towards the road, enjoying the roar of the smooth, powerful engine. She decided that she liked Lamborghini's; despite the fact she carelessly plowed into one earlier on.

Gaara, for the umpteenth time that day, was baffled and befuddled by this pink-headed girl. First, she slapped him, then apologized, and now looked like the happiest living soul on Earth. _Women,_ he thought, shaking his head. Messing with them was as safe as parachute jumping without a parachute.

He stared at her, pondering deep within his thoughts. She turned to him suddenly and caught his eyes. Emerald met turquoise. Gaara expected her to break eye contact, but to his surprise, she smiled. A warm, soft, genuine smile that made him want to smile back – but he didn't, of course. She looked pretty like that, his subconscious thought vaguely, though his mind didn't seem to register the thought completely as he was already absorbed into those mesmerizing eyes. He looked away quickly, blurting out the first thing on his mind to break the tension, "Where are we heading?"

"To the town, and this time," Sakura said, dangerous determination dripping from her voice, "_full steam ahead_."

She was much scarier than Temari, he decided.

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**A/N:** Thanks so much to the ones who reviewed!! You made me really happy – they're really encouraging ^^

Hopefully this chapter was a tiny bit longer than the previous ones. Please excuse my spelling/grammar mistakes – don't hesitate to point them out if you spot any. Sorry for the sudden addition of the Japanese suffixes, I forgot to put them in the previous chaps, and I can't resist using them. :D


	4. Chocolate Chip

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**A/N:** Omg, lol!! I typed this chapter on a flight XD My battery's running out so quick. Anyways, something to show you how big of a klutz I am – I was opening that yogurt cup they give you with the flight meal, then it just exploded EVERYWHERE. Smooth, yeah? Currently wiping orange flavoured yogurt off the screen, myself and the passenger next to me.

Thank you ever so much for the reviews!! They keep me high and alive :D Also very thankful for the alerts!!

I would love to see what you think - please drop a comment or so? They will be highly appreciated. ^^

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**Chapter Four**

Sakura stepped out of the parking lot, dragging a grumpy-looking Gaara with her. She had so many ideas about whereabouts she could show the redhead. If she was going to be a tour guide for a day, she might as well enjoy it. Sunlight engulfed the peculiar pair of teenagers – Sakura closed her eyes for a brief moment, basked in the warmth of the summer air. She glanced over at Gaara, who looked as if he didn't like the sun much. His pale skin proved to her so – but she wondered how he stayed so pale in the sunny Suna.

As the both of them strode through the streets, some pedestrians turned and stared, because of their blatant hair colours. Gaara glared back, not liking the attention one bit. Sakura ignored them and skipped ahead cheerfully, hurrying him, telling him not to be such a "slowpoke".

Gaara sighed and followed her lead, rubbing his temples. He wanted to go somewhere air-conditioned, quiet and private more than anything right now. He would, if Sakura didn't insist on keeping the car keys (to refrain him from urges to escape, probably). She wasn't the best driver either – there were, _a lot_ (Gaara wasn't one to be dishonest) of instances when the Lamborghini was too close for comfort to other cars. He wanted to kiss the ground when Sakura parked; a few minutes earlier, he was seriously convinced that he wouldn't set foot on solid ground alive.

"This is the Yamanaka flower shop." Sakura pointed towards a fancy-looking store with flora aroma drifting from within. "They sell the finest flowers, but they're awfully expensive. They've got a lot of stores – there's another one three streets away."

Gaara nodded, not showing much interest. Sakura dragged him further away, showing him the theatres, town hall, a lot of clothing stores and the bookshop (Icha-Icha Paradise was number one on the best sellers). They moved into an area with more restaurants as Gaara noted that he was sweating. Damn, it was hot – though the heat here could not hold a candle to the one in Suna. But then again, there weren't pink-headed girls dragging you around under the sun in Suna.

"Ichiraku's one of the best restaurants in Konoha. Great ramen." At the word ramen, Gaara instantly thought of Naruto, his close friend. They haven't seen each other in a while, he thought. _I wonder where you are now, Naruto._

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts as he bumped into Sakura, who had suddenly come to a halt. He scowled, then glanced at what had stopped her – a huge towering marquee that read _Konoha Ice Cream!_

"Gaara-san," Sakura squealed excitedly, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"No."

She grimaced, but kept smiling widely, "Have you tried the new flavour before? They have custard-pudding flavoured with marshmallows now!"

"No."

"Then what's your favourite?"

"I don't eat. Ice cream."

He pronounced each syllable of his answer articulately and casually, watching as her verdant orbs widened in something between disbelief and astonishment. Her hand ran through messy, mucky pink hair, still not processing Gaara's response properly. Not. Eat. _Ice cream?_ She shook her head. That simply wasn't possible.

"Are you allergic?" She asked, speculating, pitying any poor souls that were cursed with such wretched misfortune.

"No. I just don't like it."

Sakura's eyes rolled in dismay – she didn't look surprised now, as though she expected an answer from along those lines. "That's a pathetic excuse, Gaara-san," Sakura said solemnly. Gaara managed to raise a non-existent eyebrow as if to say _I don't care_, inwardly preparing himself for something rash that the pinkette was bound to do.

She dragged him, as he assumed mere moments ago, into the cool, cozy café through its glass doors. Small, white tables were propped against the wall and spread around the room. A comfortable flow of chatter filled their ears as they entered - there were customers sitting around, especially kids, some cherishing their ice cream lick by lick, some stuffing it down their throats like there was no tomorrow. A medium-sized television was fixed on the wall, blaring at a low volume. A girl that looked a little older than them stood behind the counter with a friendly smile.

"Hi there, Sakura-chan!"

Gaara had the feeling that the proprietress knew Sakura well as a very consistent customer. He wondered vaguely at how often Sakura came to this place.

"Hey Shiho!" Sakura replied lightheartedly.

"Holy, what happened to your head?" Shiho gawked as Sakura walked closer.

"Oh, it's nothing, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Sakura said with a reassuring smile. Shiho noticed that Sakura's line of vision kept darting towards the row of ice cream that sat behind a panel of glass, no longer keeping eye contact with her. Really, nothing could keep that girl away from her almost-daily dose of ice cream, Shiho thought amusedly.

"The usual?"

"Nah. I'll have _two_ chocolate chip today. Both double-scoop please."

Gaara was about to open his mouth in protest, but stayed quiet from Sakura's glare. He recognized that glare immediately, even though he had only met her for less than half a day – that glare promised Sakura's wrath and fury, which he was unfortunate enough to witness earlier. He would have to get rid of his chocolate flavoured "nourishment" inconspicuously. Maybe he could throw it over his shoulder (hopefully not hitting anyone) when she wasn't looking.

"Cone for me, and as for Gaara-san, I guess a cup will do."

"Hn."

Gaara folded his arms, looking as stubborn as a child. Sakura laughed out loud at the thought and stuck her tongue out when the redhead gave her a quizzical frown - he didn't like being kept in the dark. She paused when she spotted the still naked red hand mark on Gaara's cheek, her eyes softening.

A tap on the pinkette's shoulder made her spin around. A pretty teenage girl with pale blonde hair tied into a long ponytail smirked brightly. Slightly darker blonde hair covered the right side of her face, nonetheless still visible to hungry eyes. Her creamy pale skin radiated in the orange light of the café, capturing the attention of at least half the males in the room. For some reason, Sakura felt at ease when she noticed that Gaara was not one of those males, who were now obviously infatuated with Ino Yamanaka, her best friend. Ino's arm was linked to another boy, whom Sakura recognized too.

She knew that Shikamaru and Ino would eventually get together, she mused.

"Sakura!" Ino exclaimed, bright blue eyes gleaming. "I knew I'd find you here, you ice-cream obsessed freak."

"You were looking for me?" Sakura asked back, used to the blonde's random outbursts and teasing. She ignored the stares, as she was accustomed to how Ino's beauty fazed strangers. Back in their younger days, Sakura would feel inferior to Ino in public, hiding herself in the shadows as a shy girl that lacked confidence. But now, thanks to the blonde, the pinkette learnt to build up on her self-esteem, and no one dared to intimidate the both of them.

"Duh! I was texting and calling you, but you never re- what the hell happened to your head, woman?"

"Long story," Sakura groaned. Ino didn't ask anymore ask she knew, after years of experience, that Sakura was prone to hurting herself, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Sakura's hands fumbled in her pockets frantically, searching for something that resembled a phone. Nothing. She smacked herself on the forehead (as if it needed anymore damaging) and sighed, "I must have left my phone at Gaara's house--"

Ino didn't let Sakura finish her sentence as she dragged her aside next to the toilet, checking that they were out of earshot.

"Forehead!" Ino hissed excitedly, calling Sakura by her childhood nickname, which caused the said girl to grimace. "Did you mean as in _that_ redhead's house? Well, whatever your game plan was, you have landed yourself with a major hottie. You guys on a date?

Sakura flushed to the colour of her hair, covering her hot cheeks with a scowl. "Pig, it's not like that," she denied (rather unconvincingly, Ino would say). "I'll explain later. So you and Shikamaru got together? Like, _finally._"

"Oh my god, yeah! Where do I start?"

-

-

-

A few meters away from the girls were the both equally neglected pair of males, Gaara and Shikamaru. No thanks to the ladies, they were left in a rather awkward social position.

Shikamaru groaned, not looking very pleased. He tightened his pineapple ponytail, irritated dark eyes darting towards the girls. That blonde, indecisive, troublesome woman chained him, practically with a noose around his neck to get some infernal ice cream. So much for ice cream - she ditched him to talk with Sakura like they were long lost sisters who were separated since birth. They saw each other just yesterday.

Gaara observed the brunette with a raised eyebrow. He seemed to be the loud blonde's pissed boyfriend, he thought. They both looked troubled by this awkward silence. Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably, thinking about how troublesome this was. Gaara's face was emotionless as usual, tranquil eyes brought out by dark rings.

"So…" Shikamaru broke the ice (awkwardly), "You're on a date with Sakura, eh?"

Shikamaru saw Gaara flinch slightly at the word _date_, but his expression remained calm and composed. _Another Sasuke-type, I see. Calm, quiet, composed… silent,_ the lazy genius contemplated.

"No."

"Eh… well, I haven't seen you around. You new?"

A curt nod from the redhead was his response. Shikamaru decided to stay silent, as he didn't bother to think of something else to say. That would, of course, be too troublesome. Seemed like the gods were on his side today, though. He had a perfect view of the sky through the glass windows, where he could see the fluffy clouds if he could just tilt his head a little…

"SHIKA-KUN!" Just as he was about move his head, Ino glomped the brunette from behind, knocking the wind out of him – seemed like the gods weren't on his side after all.

Gaara felt a sudden wave of pity for the guy, who shared the same fate as he did for being manipulated by a woman in some kind of way that pained them. _We're not the ones to pursue happiness like women,_ Gaara remembered Kankuro saying. That sounded like a corny line from some perverted book Kankuro had his nose buried into, he thought, _Icha-Icha or something… didn't I see that somewhere?_

"Excuse me, is it Gaara-san? Here's your two chocolate chip ice-cream," Shiho appeared next to Gaara, their order in her hands. Gaara looked around for Sakura, but she was nowhere in sight. He grunted – where the hell was she?

"Just leave it on a table," he grumbled.

-

-

-

Sakura walked out of the bathroom, feeling happy for Ino. After gushing in full detail about how they suddenly kissed (and not to mention, how his lips felt) on a regular movie night that Chouji couldn't attend, she had made a beeline for her new lover to give him a hug. As much as Sakura felt happy for the blonde, she couldn't help but feel the undeniable jealousy along with it.

She brushed those thoughts away as she walked towards Gaara. She looked closer and smirked at the sight – he was holding her ice cream plus cone at an arm's length, like it was a bomb. His own ice cream in cup sat tauntingly, Sakura would say, on the table with drops of melting chocolate dripping down to the bottom.

"Thanks, Gaara-san," Sakura laughed, brushing his cold, calloused fingers as she grabbed her ice cream. Gaara pulled away quickly at her touch and took a seat on the metal chair with an "hn".

"So, where's Shiho? I don't remembering pay--"

"Taken care of," Gaara said in his raspy voice, causing the hair at the back of Sakura's neck to rise.

"Y-You paid?" she stuttered unintentionally, a tint of pink covering her dry cheeks. She stopped flushing and decided to take the seat opposite him, hiding any sign of a flush behind the towering two-scooped chocolate chip ice cream.

Not a moment too soon, Ino rushed over and stated that she was going to go. Apparently, she decided that ice cream was dangerously fat today. Shikamaru sighed heavily but Sakura could see the care and tenderness in his eyes.

Gaara watched as the couple walked out of the café, the blonde shouting her loud goodbyes to Sakura. The pinkette started licking her ice cream, catching some melted chocolate as it dripped from the cone. She looked up at him and smiled, chocolate tainting her lips.

"Gaara-san, thanks for the ice cream."

The redhead nodded, trying to ignore that tiny flip in his heart. _I paid 'cos I'm a guy, I paid 'cos I'm a guy,_ _I paid 'cos I'm a guy,_ he chanted in his head. Yes, that was the only rational explanation. Plus, he didn't want to look bad with a girl paying for _his_ food - although he wasn't going to eat it, of course. His own cup of ice cream was still left untouched, but Sakura did not seem to acknowledge it. He sighed in relief.

Gaara peeked at her more closely as she was now distracted with her ice cream consumption. Her bandage had been taken off, and the wound looked a little cleaner and less noticeable. The ice cream seemed to have taken her mind off a lot of worries as she enjoyed it with her eyes closed. This girl was full of childhood wonder, Gaara thought amusedly.

Gaara's thoughts came to a lull as he spotted something bright through the café's glass doors. It was a person with bright red hair, awfully similar to his, but it looked faker and dyed. It was certainly unnatural, unlike his. The person was a girl, whom reminded Gaara of an ugly hag he saw on some TV show, with matching red-framed glasses. She seemed to have noticed him staring because she started waving gleefully in his direction. Gaara froze. What the hell?

He decided to pretend he didn't see her and looked down into the disregarded cup of melting ice cream. Sakura, being the intuitive woman she was, seemed to have sensed that something was wrong. Her eyes cracked open. "Gaara-san, is something wrong?"

"Eh, no." Sakura thought that it was dubious, as for the first time, she could hear a tint of hesitation in his voice. She shrugged and returned back to ingesting her bites of heaven.

After several seconds, Gaara looked up, hoping not to spot that redheaded stranger again. Then he blanched a little. To his horror, the girl was walking inside, towards _his _freaking direction. Her face looked murderous. _Was it because I ignored her?_

Gaara recomposed himself. He was not going to let some ugly-looking lady faze him that easily. Sakura must've influenced the way he thought of other women. The others did not have monstrous strength, Gaara reminded himself. He relaxed a little, his face deadpan and eyes closed.

When he opened them again, he was ready for confrontation.

----


	5. Unladylike Lady

---

**Chapter Five**

Karin was having a good day.

She managed to make that pink-haired slacker suffer more than usual, albeit at the cost of getting her precious clothes wet. After purchasing some new make-up (the saleswoman had praised that she had one-of-a-kind facial features – of course, she was the _epitome_ of pretty), Karin decided to take a walk around town. Unlike Haruno, Tenten was capable of running the shop alone.

She thought that the make-up looked absolutely stunning on her - blue eye shadow, purple eyeliner, waterproof mascara, concealer and a touch of pink blush. It matched the expensive bracelet she had gotten a while back. The golden letter _K_ shimmered in the bright sunlight, reflecting a tawny glow from her wrist.

As she walked further away, she caught some excited screams and shouting. Konoha's public park was a several metres away, with children bombarding the place. Their shrill laughter filled the air, parents watching happily, sat on benches. Karin wrinkled her nose in disgust – children were so annoying. They were loud, filthy, selfish and destructive, she thought darkly. _Never in my life am I going to bear one of those disgusting little monsters,_ Karin shivered.

She felt cool air as she sauntered under a tree, relishing its breeze under a shade. As much as she despised those little monkeys they called children, she decided to take the park trail so that she could enjoy more of the shade. The trail encircled the noisy park, nonetheless still sheltered from the sunlit sky.

_**THUNK!**_

A tiny brunette boy with bright blue eyes thudded onto the hard ground. He had collided with Karin when he was running blindly, being chased by his friends in hide-and-seek. He couldn't have been more than five or six years old. Karin gasped.

"Oh no--"

"It's okay, miss," the boy smiled weakly, picking his small fragile form off of the ground, "I'm okay--"

"No, not _you_," Karin spat, spraying the poor boy with spit. "My handbag!" To stress her point, her cold red eyes darted towards the leather purse that perched on the ground, though there wasn't a single scratch in sight.

Despite a bruise forming on his leg, the young boy bent down and picked up Karin's clutch bag. Soft, cluttered, chocolate hair fell in front of his eyes as he leant down. Those cerulean orbs shone with unshed tears as he thrust the bag towards Karin with both hands, bowing to a ninety degree. "S-Sorry miss, p-please don't be mad, here's your handbag--"

She snatched her _rightful_ belonging from the child with an "hmph", striding away without a care. She walked off as if nothing had happened, ignoring an angry mother whom was now comforting and soothing the sobbing child. _Children,_ she groaned,_ can't pass a day without getting in the fucking way._

"Honey! Hush, hush, don't cry… tell mommy what happened--" Karin rolled her eyes, trying to block out the mother's voice. _That woman should learn to teach her kid some manners,_ she thought.

Karin decided to get a nice refreshment on the next street in _Konoha Ice Cream!_ – she deserved some, after how that brat damaged her possession. And with a great figure like hers, she mused shamelessly, some sweet nourishment wouldn't hurt.

She spotted the ice cream store and walked a little faster, thinking of which flavour to get.

Suddenly, her pace lessened. Someone was staring at her. It was a boy, she realized. He was gazing blatantly at her through the glass doors, eyes glued to her. _What a pervert… well, can't blame him, I _am_ pretty hot._ Before giving the perv the middle finger, she froze.

It was one of the hottest guys she had ever laid eyes on. Well-built, staggering emerald eyes, tattoo and flaming _red_ hair… it must've been fate, Karin breathed. _Love at first sight._

She had to tell him she was interested too! She thought excitedly. She started waving her arms wildly at once, expecting him to come rushing out to ask for her number, or better yet, get straight down to business. She waved that thought away with a smile… no… she should take things _slow_, like a _professional_.

To Karin's dismay, the redheaded boy looked away. She scoffed but composed herself. _Maybe he's shy,_ she giggled. She practically ran inside to look at him again.

Then her veins turned to ice.

Sitting opposite her gorgeous redhead (soon-to-be-soul mate) was a _girl_. It wasn't just any girl either – it was none other than Sakura Haruno, that pink-headed slut. _How _dare_ she steals my man,_ Karin thought angrily, _she's going to get it, one way or the other._

With that, Karin stormed into the café, the intent to kill in her eyes.

***

Sakura was halfway finished with the ice cream when she almost choked on a chocolate chip and died (because she was certain that no one here could do the Heimlich maneuver).

It was all because Gaara shifted in his seat and stared into the space behind her - it caused _her_ to turn around to look at what he was gazing at. When she did, she immediately regretted it. Karin, out of all people, was walking towards them, and not in a happy way either. She looked as pissed as hell. This morning, Sakura would've killed to see her so outraged, but now, she would've given up all the ice cream in the world to make her happy. When Karin was mad, it meant taking-out-on-Haruno time, and Sakura didn't want to be humiliated in the public, especially in front of… _Gaara. Why?_ She questioned herself. But she couldn't find an answer in her head because Karin was already towering over them like a dark cloud.

Gaara's aura remained mundane while trying to figure out what this diabolical woman wanted. To his surprise, he heard Sakura greeting the redheaded lady.

"Karin-san," Sakura muttered, looking away.

Gaara's eyes widened. Did Sakura know _everyone_ around here? Who the hell was this redhead? How come a scoop of his chocolate ice cream suddenly disappeared? Did "Karin" want something with him or Sakura? Did he attract women with (fake) blatant hair colours? Questions swarmed around in his head, but he kept a calm façade, the usual frown making its way to his face.

Karin seemed to have ignored Sakura completely and turned to Gaara. She smiled sickly and batted her eyelashes in a suggestive manner, some of her mascara brushing onto her glasses. Her face was caked with make up in an uneven proportion, making him want to gag.

"Hi there," she mewled. She tucked red hair behind her ear, a wink following afterwards. Sakura cringed – it was a sickening sight. The pinkette proceeded to look up to sky, silently begging for help from the gods, believing that she would be scarred for life after watching this.

"What the hell do you want," Gaara said coldly, his voice hoarse. It came out more of a statement than a question. Karin's kinky smile fell immediately. She looked as if Christmas was canceled. Furious that the other redhead didn't actually crave for her, she turned to Sakura as an excuse to be there.

"H-Haruno, your services are no longer needed – you're out of my employment," Karin snarled, turning on her knee-length boots' heels for the exit.

Gaara looked over to Sakura. All he could see in her eyes were rage, anger and danger. _A lot_ of danger.

One moment she was in her chair.

The next, there was a screech as the chair scraped across the floor.

Then Karin was on the ground, clutching her abused stomach, head dumped with ice cream.

Gaara thought that he had never seen anyone so violent and brutal in his life. Maybe that was an overstatement, but she was still the most un-ladylike lady he had seen, if that made sense. The cafe went completely still. Silence. It was so quiet that you could've heard everyone's heartbeats if it weren't for the noise from the television. Every pair of eyes were glued to Sakura, who had just delivered a hard blow on Karin's torso with the finishing touches of Gaara's ignored ice cream on her head. Compared to that, the slap Gaara had gotten earlier looked worthless.

***

Sakura refused to shed the angry tears in her eyes as Gaara followed her closely from behind. She tried to wipe her eyes discreetly with her forearm, but Gaara still noticed how those jade orbs shone with wetness. He felt a wave of emotions overcome him – it felt uneasy. He had never felt anything like this – he didn't like it either. He felt irritation from the trouble this pink-haired girl dragged him into. Then came sympathy, for no reason, as she was the one who _delivered_ the punch, not the victim on the receiving end. Confusion, because he had no fucking idea what just happened. And finally, there was the slight unfathomable protectiveness. He wanted to do something to make her stop _crying,_ but he didn't know what. This girl was driving him nuts.

"Stop crying." It sounded cold and uncaring – shit, not his intention. But sounding all nice and soothing wasn't his intention either. She sniffed, on the verge of rebuking him, and stopped. Sakura sighed. She just wasn't in the mood.

"Sakura-san," Gaara said slowly, gesturing for her to stop. "Wait out here."

They were just passing one of the _Yamanaka Flower _shops. Sakura looked down to her shoes depressedly, wondering what the hell Gaara would want from there. To get her flowers? That was crazy. She didn't ponder anymore, as she suddenly felt the exhaustion from day's events dawning on her. Sakura watched him walk in, until his figure disappeared out of her line of vision.

***

"Damn it, Kankuro, pick up the fucking phone," Gaara swore under his breath, earning himself a few daggers from the other customers. He didn't like it in here – it was too flower-y and colourful for his liking.

This was one of the rare times when Gaara actually needed "assistance" from his siblings. He groaned at the thought of asking for their help – it made him feel powerless, but he didn't have much of a choice, being this clueless. Since Kankuro had more experience with this kind of stuff, seeing how he was addicted to soap operas and all kinds of novels, he called him first. Unfortunately, he wasn't picking up his cell phone.

Gaara closed his eyes in frustration, and decided to phone home. Impatient, the dial tone resonated in his ears. _Come on, pick up, pick up…_

"Hello?" A gruff voice answered just before Gaara hung up, thinking that no one was home. His brother sounded groggy and disorientated.

"You were _sleeping?_" Gaara questioned, obviously very pissed. "You've had more than enough sleep," he hissed.

"Gaara, is that you? Woah, never thought _you'd_ called." The accusation was ignored - _what's wrong with sleeping_, Kankuro thought defensively.

"I called your mobile a few times. Why didn't you answer?"

"Ugh…" The noise of random items cluttering blared through the receiving end, Kuroari's familiar "meow"s filling the background. "Shit, Kuroari must've hid it again. I swear, that cat is possessed by an evil spirit--"

"Never mind that," Gaara muttered hurriedly, "I need your… _help_." On the other line of the phone, Kankuro scratched his head, wondering what could hinder Gaara so bad that he called _him_. The brunette tried not to laugh at how reluctant the redhead sounded at the word _help_ but let himself chuckle a little anyways.

"Yes, little brother, _jan_?"

A groan. "Don't call me that."

"Awh, come on. How often does this happen? You're actually asking _me_ for _help._"

"Well, it's your fault actually, how I ended up here. It's about Sakura Haruno… yes, that pink-headed girl."

Kankuro snickered. "What now, _love_ problems? How cute."

"I'm serious, Kankuro."

"Fine fine, like you aren't already. Tell me everything."

---

**A/N:** Whoosh *wipes sweat away* there goes chapter five. Before you cross this tab/window, please tell me what you think? ^^


	6. Konoha Park

---

**Chapter Six**

Kankuro almost choked on his own spit from laughing so much.

Gaara didn't try concealing his irritation. Honestly, he expected a little more _sympathy_ from his brother, after telling him everything starting from the car ride to the café. Patience wasn't one of his strong points, especially when he had to wait tetchily for Kankuro's snorting to stop. He tried to interrupt his sibling but it was to no avail. Gaara made a mental note to castrate Kankuro or one of his god damned puppets, whichever one he could chop to pieces first.

In his fit of anger, Gaara took it out on an innocent fly that happened to be flying around his head in circular motions. It must've mistaken his vibrant hair colour for a flower. Unfortunately, it was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Gaara squashed the insect with the side of his mobile against the wall with dead accuracy, ending its life with a _splat!_. A little buzz could be heard as the fly got flatten, murdered inhumanly. Gaara raised his non-existent eyebrow in disgust as its carcass and its last victim's blood smudge onto the smooth glossy surface of the electronic. He felt a little conniving, but the infuriated side of his brain took over. Every little thing was getting on his nerves. Stupid colour-blind fly.

He could still hear Kankuro's loud incessant laughter through the receiving end without putting his ear near it. Gaara looked around to check if anyone detected his little fly-slaughter episode. The cashier lady spotted him, giving him a weird look. Out of habit, Gaara gave a "_what the hell you staring at, bitch_" glare back in return, sending the poor girl to cower away from his menacing look.

He turned around and spotted a dark figure on his nine o'clock, looming over some sunflowers. Gaara froze, realizing that that dude and himself were the only males in the shop right now. The figure was almost completely covered, hardly any flesh and skin visible. He was veiled in a leafy wind jacket, a high collared shirt that covered almost the whole of his mouth, and board shorts. With dark sunglasses and a hoodie over his head, he reminded Gaara of a stalker.

Gaara decided that this guy had a problem. The heat was stifling outside yet the stranger dressed like Santa Claus, minus the beard. It was difficult to surmise his age – he could be a teenager with serious skin problems, or a really creepy middle-aged man who liked to dress weirdly. Gaara wasn't a halfwit though. He knew the guy couldn't hear the phone conversation from there, but he had the perfect view of watching (and spying on) him. Then it struck him. Santa-Guy probably witnessed him kill the fly. The guy's face was contorted into an uneasy look. Why the hell would the stranger freak out over a stinking fly? Gaara hoped that there wasn't a dumb law in Konoha where killing insects grant you a trip to the big house.

Gaara shook the trivial paranoid thoughts away. His brain cells weren't functioning properly - he must've been thinking too over-suspiciously. With that, Gaara directed his attention back onto the phone call.

Kankuro coughed, his throat hurting from the prolonged laughter, "I still can't believe you got smacked! By a _girl!_ Oh god, I haven't laughed this much since the time you tried to cook--"

"Just tell me what to do," Gaara hissed peremptorily. He should have called Temari instead. He held the phone at an angle where he didn't have to come in contact with the fly's remains.

"Okay, okay, _jan_," Kankuro said, tone finally serious. "So you're still here because…"

"I told you. She has the Lamborghini keys held as hostage."

"Hm… say, didn't you mention that you were in a flower sh--"

"No, I will not buy her fucking flowers."

A heavy sigh. "I knew you weren't gonna go for that method. Okay, listen closely, _jan…_"

* * *

Sakura was mildly annoyed. She was starting to lose her patience, not that she had much to begin with in the first place. She craved for her phone to text Ino or Tenten as her tears have dried up. She couldn't believe she lost her phone - she was the person people recognized as the _organized_ one. So much for organized. What was taking Gaara so damn long anyways? Did he drown himself in a field of flowers or something? Now that she really thought about it, what _was_ he doing in there? She sighed. That antisocial redhead was something of an enigma. At least it was safe to say that she had calmed down from the drama.

"Hey."

Sakura turned around. Face to face with her was Gaara Sabaku, the very boy she was thinking about a mere moment ago. She tried not to flinch at the sudden closeness. When the hell did he creep up on her? His footsteps belonged to one of those silent hit mans. Now that they were this near, Sakura realized that he was slightly taller than her. His face was wearing the usual glare, its brilliant green orbs piercing right through her, making her own pair feel inferior.

"What the hell took you so long?" Sakura inquired.

If someone could be less responsive than a remote that ran out of batteries, it would be Gaara.

Sakura hated being ignored. Fine. If he was going to disregard her, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of losing control again. PMSing and dealing with all the drama wasn't the best way to keep her self-control intact though, much to her chagrin. Moments passed by, both as quiet as the grave.

"Well," Sakura said finally. "I haven't got any specific places in mind where we--"

"Actually," Gaara cut off, surprising Sakura. "I want to take a walk around the park."

Sakura shrugged, inwardly struggling to find an exit out of the mind maze Gaara effortlessly trapped her in. Something smelt fishy, and it wasn't the odour from the make-up store they were passing by now. That request didn't seem like Gaara at all, from what she knew. Why did he suddenly want to go to the park? There were so many "if"s and possibilities... Sakura's mind started to wonder.

Maybe...

Maybe he was a pill popper or a drug addict! That would explain the prolonged wait she had to endure - he must've been snorting his regular dose of whatever illicit substance to keep himself high! Oh _god,_ why was she so blind? She didn't even know the guy! She might get raped! Why did she even agree to take him around? Could she even trust this--

Sakura stopped herself. She was being paranoid. That bump on her overly large forehead must've caused the malfunction of the (now seemingly tiny) analytical gland in her brain. If Gaara was to take some illegal drugs, he wasn't the type of bozo to do it around a crowded place in broad daylight. Plus, the sun wouldn't set until around after dinner seeing as it was summer. The boy probably wanted some alone time. Sakura grimaced - _anyone_ would need alone time after seeing what a freak she was, and how misfortunate seemed to always find its way to her. She was a magnet to it.

Besides... rapists didn't have kissable-looking lips...

Sakura slapped herself inwardly. She was starting to sound like her infatuated self back in the days when she first met Sasuke. All good-looking guys seemed to be the player-type, if not, they were jerks. At least they ones she met were. Sakura sighed. It seemed like no real life male specimen could ever satisfy her emotional (and physical) needs, and she doubted Gaara was an exception. Wait. When did Gaara even fit into the category of good-looking-?

She needed to see a doctor after this. To check her head.

* * *

The journey to the park took less than five minutes. The walk there was done in silence, one Sakura couldn't determine if awkward or not. The sky was a soft tangerine by now, making the playground look like something out of a fairytale - it reminded her of how much she loved summer despite the occasional stifling heat. The noise emitted from the kids that dominated the playground reminded her not to daydream, as she had a guest to accompany. She thought that it was the trick of the light when Gaara didn't actually frown for the whole way – it made her feel kind of nice_,_ if she must concede.

"Well, what do you wanna do now?" Sakura asked. She half-expected him to blurt out 'to go home', but he didn't. Her pocket suddenly felt heavy as she remembered that the keys to his car were still in her custody. She bore in mind to return them to their rightful owner later. She had caused enough trouble, and too much revelation of her own private life to the redhead, in just one day.

Gaara turned to her, his dark-rimmed eyes looking right through her with an unfathomable expression.

"I'm tired. Let's take a seat on that bench over there." Was that an invite for her? Sakura was confused but complied nonetheless. The cold metal bench welcomed their butts as the pair took their seats. Sakura looked down at her own pair of feet that were swinging, as she decided that she had enough of looking at (or being looked at by) the redhead's ever changing blue, green orbs. She was expecting his cold voice to demand his keys back any moment back now.

"Areyouokay." The words were a jumble altogether when it left his mouth.

"Huhm?" Sakura said intelligently.

"I said, are you okay?" Sakura blinked. Wow, she never pegged Gaara as a gentleman.

"Um, okay from what?"

"Karin."

"Oh." She replied dumbly. "Yeah, I guess." She sighed, a part of her surprised that he cared. "I should've quit the job ages ago anyways. I was just insecure I guess. The good thing is, I'm free of her, finally."

"You shouldn't have felt insecure." Came were the nonchalant words from Gaara. Sakura frowned. What did _he_ know? _He_ didn't have to worry about not going to school because his parents couldn't afford the fees. _He_ wasn't the one whose father was terribly ill, and whose mother hasn't seen you for months. It irked her when people say things as though they understood you completely, when even she couldn't understand herself sometimes.

"Whatever," she said with indignation, eyes rolling. "What do you know?"

"If you don't like your job, you should have quitted it ages ago." Gaara replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Sakura felt her face go hot.

"It's not that simple," she snapped. "I'm not rich like you."

"Money isn't everything." But it would've solved a lot of her problems, she thought.

"At least you've got a nice family. Kantaro seems like a kind brother. It's better than being a single child."

"It's Kankuro. And I don't have a nice family."

Sakura was unconvinced. She was sure he had - Gaara was probably going through one of those teenage angst phases, the part where they under-appreciate the people around them and et cetera. She sighed. Life must've been good as one of the Sabaku's. She could've been worrying about a chipped nail or her beauty sleep instead of all this early adulthood stress that got dumped on her.

"My mother is dead, long before I can remember, and my father is too much of an asshole to give a shit about us."

Sakura blinked. She wasn't expecting that. A pang of regret and pity hit her stomach as she scold herself for assuming the wrong things before getting to know the person better. God, she was _such_ a hypocrite.

"Sorry," she whispered quietly.

"Don't be." Gaara stood up slowly. "Stay here, I'm going to get us drinks."

Sakura watched a little drowsily as the redhead made his way towards the tuck shop of the park. She felt so damn tired. The sky was at the perfect condition for her to fall asleep under. She didn't want to think anymore. Gaara's sudden change of attitude... her life... the ice cream... Everything was so tiring. Certainly a little sleep couldn't hurt.

With that, she closed her eyes with a slight breeze accompanying her.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!! Also thanks to the ones who reviewed!! You guys are truly amazing people, no kidding. My most heartfelt gratitude to you. You keep my muse alive :D Anyways lol, can you guys guess who that other male customer was?**


	7. The Desk

**Chapter Seven**

"How may I help you, Sir?" The boy behind the tuck shop counter asked. His voice sounded bored and automatic, as if he had been saying the same line continuously for the whole day. Gaara paused for a moment to stare at the boy's freckles before answering.

"Water," he said impassively.

"Just one?" Gaara nodded.

"Are you sure?" The redhead frowned in irritation before giving another curt nod. Couldn't the guy see that he was a man of few words, in pain?

Gaara sighed. Speaking of pain, he had trapped himself in a tailspin.

Kankuro's 'profound' advice to him was to smooth-talk the girl and make her feel all bubbly and special inside. He said that Gaara had to 'socialize' and be a gentleman. Gaara remembered snorting at the idea, doubting the so-called technique immediately. Never in his life, he decided, was Sakura Haruno going to cross his mind as a girl who gave into that kind of bullshit. She was violent, rash, impulsive, misunderstanding and... violent. Plus, with him being the initiatory one? You must've been asking for a fish to fly.

The last time Gaara had interacted with a girl in that kind of way was... God knows when. In fact, as he fished out a few coins, Gaara remembered that he was still a virgin - which just went to show his level of interaction with other teenagers. Not that he craved to mingle with them, of course. All they cared about was the climb on the social ladder, the latest clothes, the hottest gossip, the obsession with their appearances and other people's suffering. Sometimes, Gaara wondered if he was born into the wrong century. Kids today were disrespectful and he couldn't relate to anything they did. The bottom line - there was no way in hell he was going to 'socialize'.

"_Jan,_" Kankuro said over the phone, after Gaara voiced his doubt. "I'm not a goddamned fairy godmother! That's the best I can come up with. Why don't you go call Temari or something?" He _did_ indeed want to call his sister, but keeping the pinkette waiting for too long wasn't a wise move. And frankly, Gaara doubted that Temari's advice would've been any better than Kankuro's. Not that Kankuro's guidance worked well anyway - his words of wisdom backfired. After the conversation, Sakura only got more sullen and moody.

The redhead grabbed the water bottle with one hand, the other rubbing his temples. He needed to think of a plan quick, or he'd be dead meat. He hadn't been this troubled since dealing with his father. How was it that a simple pink-headed girl caused all this chaos in his mind? Was it her bubble-gum hair, her bright green eyes or her emotional temper?

Gaara couldn't believe he was going through all this agitation just to get his keys back. If it was anyone else, he could've simply threatened them or used his fists. Unfortunately, Sakura Haruno didn't fit into the category as 'anyone else'. She was a girl who had the strength to crack a desk in half. And she had pink hair. He didn't like the idea of explaining any sort of injuries to Temari - she would freak out big time. She nagged like a mother too.

Every possible course of action he could take played in his mind, just to all end up in an ugly finish, like a nuclear explosion. An inevitable dead end. It was clear. Gaara was rendered spineless and flimsy. He was being manipulated by a girl, like a goddamned puppet. He was finished.

Fuck it, that sounded like a _coward's_ talk.

Why did he suddenly have to go through such pointless undertakings to get something he wanted?

He was Gaara Sabaku, and he _always_ got what he wanted.

Konoha had weakened him. Since when, back in Suna, would he actually put up with this kind of fraternization? He remembered punching a drunkard on the street for merely looking at him the wrong way. That guy needed stitches afterwards. Where was his rage now? Where was his lack of patience and temper? Did living away from his father soften him that effortlessly? Maybe it did. His father had tried to confine him in a mental hospital after all. He went as far as to using their Uncle Yashamaru to coax the mind of his own six year-old self. Gaara's eyes darkened at the memory. _I'm not weak._ He couldn't be weak.

No more playing petty little mind games. To _hell_ with Kankuro's words. Forget about that girl.

He was going to get those keys one way or the other.

* * *

Everything was white.

Everything was soft.

Sakura was in the clouds. What was she doing here?

She must've been dreaming. She liked this dream. Nothing was chasing her.

She felt light and free, not a worry in the world holding her down. She continued to bask herself in this freedom. It felt like nothing could stop her from soaring in the skies and dwelling in this wondrous place. She felt peace. No real thoughts, just vague concepts drifting in and out occasionally...

But then a touch made her shift. Suddenly, she was _falling_ - she wanted to scream, but all that came out from her mouth was an unheard yelp.

Her feet kicked the ground and then everything was real again.

Sakura's eyes snapped open. Reality sucked her right out of her rem. She felt wide-awake, realizing that she was still at the park. The sound of children's laughter entered her ears once more, but most of her vision was covered by a fiery red. _Gaara_-red, to be exact. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and froze at the sight in front of her.

Gaara Sabaku was caught red-handed, his hand in Sakura's jean pocket, reaching for the car keys.

Reality sucked.

At first, Sakura gawked at him. Gaara, despite being caught using his sticky fingers, looked amazing when he glanced up. He had a debonair aura that surrounded him. How could someone doing something so sinister look so innocent? There was no doubt that he was handsome. Sakura would've fallen head over heels for him if he wasn't a rude, selfish, insensitive bastard - a bastard whom actually had the _audacity_ to attempt getting his keys back, _right under her nose_. Anger boiled through her veins. Who the _hell_ did he think he was, sneaking something from a person who was fallen asleep? What kind of decent person would do this? Did he think she wouldn't know? _Coward._

She wasn't so speechless anymore.

"What the hell, _Gaara_?" Sakura gnashed her teeth, standing up briskly. Her voice dripped with venom as his name was shouted with contempt. She dropped the suffix, no longer feeling the obligation to be polite. Hell, _he_ was the one who needed to be polite and apologize right now. The redhead stood a meter away from her, keys dangling from his hand, and for a long moment, he did nothing but stared at Sakura.

"You could've just fucking _asked_ for the keys, you know," she spat vehemently, using every right she had to be angry.

"No, I do not know," he answered smugly, a non-existent eyebrow quirking. There wasn't even a hint of guilt in his voice. _Asshole._ Did this human being possess no emotions? Sakura mentally placed him as the epitome of unscrupulous, second to Karin. She laughed humorlessly at the irony - maybe all redheads in her life were destined to be her mortal enemies.

"_No, I do not know_," she mimicked. "What the hell's your problem?"

More profanities rolled off her tongue, obtaining disdainful glares from some of the children's parents. Sakura couldn't care less though. All she felt was fury. She glared at him indignantly. How was it that Gaara was so calm and collected in a situation like this? He was supposed to be consumed by guilt. Washed by shame. Discomforted by her tirade. Yet, the redhead was unfazed, face deadpan and dispassionate.

Sakura expected him, any moment now, to go down on his knees to apologize, to calm her down, to be intimidated, to be afraid, to beg for her forgiveness.

But she didn't expect him to walk away.

He just walked off. Without a word. Sakura felt like ripping her hair out. What was wrong with the world today? Why was everything against her? Gaara was just going to _walk away_?

"You coward!" Sakura shrieked. "Don't you _dare_ walk away from me, bastard!"

To her surprise, Gaara stopped dead in his tracks. Very slowly, he turned around. "No. _You_ need to stay away from me. Stop being a conceited bitch and get a hold of yourself." The words were cold, and they stung. Sakura knew that they weren't true, but the way he said them made her feel bitter. It hurt. She didn't know why, it just hurt so bad. It felt like someone stabbed her with a knife. There was a lump at the back of her throat. Suddenly words couldn't be formed, and tears threatened to fall. Why was she feeling like this?

She sat down on the bench again, stumped. And this time when he turned to walk away, she didn't bother chasing him.

* * *

Kuroari's ears perked up. Gaara unlocked the back door to Sabaku's house, kicking his shoes off lazily. Kuroari sniffed his feet, and walked away disinterestedly as the redhead shooed him away. The raven feline gave a small meow, not amused by the lack of attention this human owner showed.

Gaara was greeted by a very lively kitchen - a mouthwatering, mesmerizing odour had no problem making its way to his nose, reminding him of how hungry he was. He didn't need to guess that it was Kankuro's cooking. Out of the three Sabaku siblings, the only one with any decent cooking skills was Kankuro. Unlike Temari and Gaara's 'cuisine', Kankuro's food was actually edible. In fact, they were so damn delicious, Temari often endorsed the cat-lover to pursue a career as a professional chef. Unfortunately, Kankuro was too slothful at times to cook, which resulted in take-outs, such as the one involving Sakura.

"_Jan_," Kankuro popped his head into the kitchen, "so you're alive after all, little brother."

Indeed, he was. He felt powerful when he shut Sakura up. It felt magnificent to know that he was the superior one of the two. It felt _great_ walking away as the victor in their little game.

But that feeling didn't last for too long. When the anger faded away, it was replaced by guilt. He was the delinquent after all. When he saw this pink-headed princess-lookalike fall asleep on the bench, his normally cold eyes softened. He felt an undeniable attraction to the girl as a normal teenage boy, but a small voice inside his mind said it was more than that. He hesitated, but still couldn't help take advantage of the situation. Gaara wasn't a coward though - he just wanted things to get done quick. He was the rightful owner of the keys, after all.

Rightful owner of the keys or not, Gaara's heart was still devoured by remorse.

Out of the corner of his eye as he left, he spotted the pinkette sobbing uncontrollably. He didn't expect his words to influence her this much. Hell, she looked tough, how was he supposed to know that she was so soft inside? Part of him wanted to run back to her, soothe her and calm her, embrace her in his arms, and to whisper consoling words. The other part of him, the rational part, said to ignore her and hope to never see Sakura Haruno again in his life.

That girl was driving Gaara crazy, and he didn't like it. He didn't like being confused. Why did he even care?

"Gaara? Talk with me," Kankuro said, straightening a Hello Kitty apron, "How did you manage to get back?"

"Definitely not using your strategy," Gaara criticized.

"Don't be so mean, _jan_, at least I tried helping!" Kankuro said defensively, putting on an oven mitt.

"Whatever."

Kankuro opened the oven and muttered "still not done" before laughing. "Awh man! When you said 'scarier than Temari', I honestly doubted it. You were totally exaggerating. Who the hell would be scarier than Tem-"

"-scarier than who, Kankuro?" A new voice interrupted.

Temari Sabaku, the eldest of the Sabaku siblings stood before her two brothers, dressed casually. She was a university student studying to become a medical doctor. Healing patients one by one was her goal. Being the valedictorian in her high school, her first-rate grades placed her into a prestigious school that promised a successful future. Temari considered rejecting the offers to university to take better care of her two brothers, but the boys contradicted the idea immediately. They didn't want to ruin Temari's future as they were more than capable of taking care of themselves. Or so they claimed. Unconvinced, Temari still checked up on them frequently.

"Holy shit, Temari!"

"I don't think I know who that is, Kankuro," Temari smirked playfully.

"Whatever, _jan_, I'm gonna look for my phone," Kankuro said, throwing the mitt off. "That damn cat keeps hiding it! In fact, he hid my PSP too. Why is he so god damned obsessed with my stuff..." Kankuro's voice trailed off as he stalked away into the hallway.

Temari turned and smiled gently at Gaara. They might not have been close in their childhood, but they managed to find a little trust in each other, and that was enough for them to get along.

"What's the matter, Gaara?" Temari asked. "You look like you've killed someone."

Gaara thought of the fly slaughter briefly before answering. "I'm alright, Temari. I just need to go rest a little..."

Gaara sighed and walked to the second floor. He went past the guest's bathroom and paused when he saw Kankuro looking inside the cabinet.

"Kankuro?"

"Yes, _jan?"_ Kankuro answered distractedly, still in a hopeless search for his phone.

"Where did you get your so-called advice from?" Gaara asked from curiousity. From years of experience, he hoped that Kankuro wouldn't give another answer that made him regret asking in the first place.

"Oh, from a soap opera called 'Destined Together', it's so good, you should--" Gaara slammed the bathroom door shut with a groan. He should have never asked his brother for advice. Kankuro came out of the bathroom and complained before saying something about the pasta being ready, rushing down to the kitchen once more. Gaara sighed and listened to his siblings' distant voices from downstairs.

Temari's shrill voice echoed through the house. "Why is that cat in here? I don't want to be choking up hair balls when we eat our dinner."

"Geez," Gaara heard Kankuro scoff. "Can't you give me more credit? Or help? I have to cook dinner _and_ take care of the cat? I should get paid for this!"

Gaara sighed and decided he had heard enough of his sibling's bickering. He sauntered off to his room.

Gaara's room could be described as plain and big. You couldn't see the whole room in one glance but it had all the fundamentals of a regular bedroom - a single bed, a desk, a (rarely used) computer, a book self, a closet and a chair. He didn't feel the need to make it fancy. His room was only comfortable because it was familiar, and it was _his_. A window unveiled to a beautiful view of Konoha - a hill could be seen, though partly covered by some houses. The floor board felt cool to his feet, even through his socks. He made a mental note to tone down the air condition later.

For the first time in a while, Gaara sighed in comfort. It felt a little nice to relax. Everything in his room seemed in place. Maybe he could lie down for a while... But then something caught the redhead's eyes.

A black blob contrasted against the white-ish, beige wallpaper. It moved.

"Kuroari." Gaara called out softly. He grimaced. Just when he thought he could get some rest. "What are you doing here?"

"_Meow_." The cat swayed its tail playfully, its eyes full of energy. It didn't seem to want to leave Gaara's room.

"What?" Gaara said a little annoyedly.

Kuroari jumped gracefully around the room, 'til it reached Gaara's desk. The redhead frowned. What did this cat want with him now? He bent down to look at what was keeping Kuroari so obsessive with the underneath of his desk. He secretly hoped it wasn't dead mice, or he was going to castrate Kankuro. Again.

Three items came into view. Gaara would've laughed if he didn't feel kind of empty. It was Kankuro's black mobile, PSP, and another girly-looking phone he didn't recognize. Apparently, Kuroari used Gaara's desk as the hideout for all the stolen electronics. That cat was smart. No one could ever go into his room without his permission, and his siblings had hardly any reason to request to be in there. He cleaned his own space anyways.

Then it hit him.

The other phone belonged to Sakura Haruno.

The day's events came flooding through his mind. The shame started to daunt Gaara again. He wanted to forget about this girl. She reminded him of why he deserved to be hated.

Gaara almost hated himself now. He regretted causing Sakura such pain. He caused her more pain when she was injured, when she was sacked, and most importantly, when she needed comfort. Him, out of all people, should know how that felt. Gaara looked into the sudden rain that pattered on his window, and lied onto the soft mattress that welcomed him.

He waited for slumber to take over him, but it never did.

* * *

**I can't believe school starts in four days. And what really sucks is that, the holiday here is less than 2 months. AND MY SCHOOL STARTS ON A FRIDAY. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO START ON A FRIDAY???!**

Aghhh!! Any fun ideas on how to spend the last days of summer holiday?

**Sorry if this chapter's rushed by the way. Busy week, visitors leaving... Teary goodbyes and all that jazz.**

**Endless thanks to those who reviewed - they mean the world!! Hope you guys had a nice summer.~**


	8. Waiting For Your Call

**Chapter Eight**

Delicate rain showered the pinkette out of a drifting cloud. Sakura blinked as the rain ceased to fall. Trust the sudden rain shower to take place - she was now soaked, not only with tears. It was a funny view that the rain fell out of a _sunny_ sky. Were the Gods weeping or mocking her?

She sighed and stepped inside a pay phone booth, a water bottle clutched in one hand whilst the other searched for coins. The bottle was left behind by Gaara - Sakura kicked it furiously when he left. When she calmed down, she decided to pick it up again. Just because the asshole abandoned it didn't mean she had to be _un_eco-friendly and waste perfectly good drinkable water. The dial tone rang through her ears as she punched some numbers in.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Sakura!" the throaty voice exclaimed distraughtly. "I was worried sick! Do you have any idea how bloody _scared_ I was when you didn't pick up your phone? I called Ino and she said she's not with you. Where on Earth are you?"

"Dad, I'm fine. I just lost my phone."

"Where are you?" Mr. Haruno repeated, voice frantic. "Tell me and I'll come over to pick you up straight away." Sakura rolled her eyes. Her father was an over-protective parent through and through. Even through his illness, her dad never failed to cosset her over the tiniest thing, just for the sake of her well-being. Sakura knew if she didn't call any sooner, he would've reported her missing to the Konoha police department.

Perhaps that was why Mrs. Haruno left him, Sakura thought. She always found herself wondering why her mother abandoned them - sure, Mrs. Haruno visited but it was less frequent nowadays. Did her mother leave because her life was being controlled too much? She couldn't think of any other plausible reason. In Sakura's humble opinion, she thought that there was nothing wrong with her father. Her dad was a kind, gentle and caring man. Never once in her life had Sakura heard her dad raise his voice with her. He rarely lost his temper (a gene she obviously did not inherit).

"It's okay, I can walk home. I'm at the park right now," Sakura explained.

"You mean the one next to Ichiraku's?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Stay right where you are, I'm driving over--"

"No no no," Sakura gasped horrifiedly. "You have to stay home!"

When Sakura realized that her father had hung out, she started panicking.

The thought of her father's sickness worsening scared her. She didn't want to risk anything. The doctor had specifically demanded that Mr. Haruno should stay in bed for at least two days, as he refused to stay any longer at the hospital. That man needed _rest_. When Sakura got the news that her father had an attack, she was traumatized. Asthma at that age was dangerous. She remembered darkly how painful it was, holding his hand in the hospital. It was so unfair. He wasn't even a smoker, just a workaholic.

Hysterical, Sakura dialed home with a shaky hand.

_Please... please... please pick up..._

"Sakura?" Her dad's voice uttered, a hint of annoyance detected. "I told you to wait there--"

"I'll be home in thirty minutes," Sakura coaxed, in a firmer voice. "It's a promise." She would have to run a little, but it didn't matter.

When there was no immediate reply, Sakura could imagine her dad contemplating on the other end.

"Please, _daaad_?" Sakura begged. "No point wasting gas when I can get some exercise." Seconds ticked by before he answered.

"Fine," Mr. Haruno grumbled reluctantly. "Don't let me catch you late, young lady, or I'm grounding you." Sakura let out a silent whoosh of relief. Like he would _ever_ ground her - she knew he couldn't. Thank goodness he didn't lecture her on losing her phone. Yet.

"Okay okay. Just don't forget to take your medicine, dad..."

Sakura walked out of the booth with ease. All she had to do now was get home, take a warm relaxing bath and forget about all the shit that happened today. Okay, maybe she was going to rant about it _once_ to Ino, _then_ forget about it completely. Afterwards, it would be followed by a chat with Tenten on what new, stylish but cheap mobile she should replace the old one with. Perfect.

It was a few steps before she thought about the redhead again. The thought of Gaara Sabaku made her mad and confused. She could see those brilliant green eyes in her mind so clearly. They were so cold it made her shiver. She had to stop thinking about him. But for some reason, she couldn't. She could still _smell_ him - he smelt like coffee and clean laundry... it was an odor she could get used to. Why did she have Gaara's scent on herself? Could it be a hallucination? A little bump couldn't have made her lose her mind just yet. Sure, she was clumsy, but the lost of brain cells couldn't have been this severe...

Then Sakura came to her senses - he must've carried her. He carried her when she was unconscious. She reiterated the statement in her mind. _He_. Carried. _Her_.

Unconscious or not, the idea of those strong-looking arms touching her skin gave Sakura goosebumps. For a moment, she was actually stupid enough to think that he cared. Like any other jerk, he was just playing with her. Leading her on. And most importantly, she was daft enough to actually fall for it. Ino had always said that she shouldn't trust people that easily - now she understood why.

"Miss! Miss!" Sakura stopped at a loud voice. She turned around to find a young brunette child running towards her. Was he talking with her? It seemed so, because he slowed down as he neared her.

Sakura forced herself to smile. "Hi there." She didn't peg herself as a person that was good with children, as she was a single child. Nonetheless, it didn't hurt to be nice to one. Hopefully, he wouldn't bite.

The brunette looked up after panting, and Sakura noticed how big those blue eyes were. "Is this yours?" He held up a golden bracelet that Sakura seemed to have seen somewhere, but couldn't quite remember where. But it definitely did not belong to her. She shook her head. "No, it's not mine."

The boy gave a toothy smile. "You should keep it!"

"But it's not mine," Sakura cocked her head, trying to figure out the child's possibly amoral intentions.

"No one says it's theirs," the brunette said.

"I still don't think I should keep it," Sakura shook her head.

"You should!"

"Why?"

"'Cos you're pretty," the boy exclaimed shamelessly. Sakura smiled amusedly. This one was going to grow up to be a charmer. Not wanting to disappoint the boy, she took the jewelry from his hands. She sighed. Sakura would have to drop that off at the police station later. Maybe tomorrow. For now, she didn't want to put the boy's persistent effort to waste. At least she made one person happy today, she thought as the brunette skipped away ecstatically.

* * *

Sakura made it home in time. After shoving the keys into the lock and greeting her father, she rushed into the bathroom to take a steaming hot bath. Their house wasn't too big, but it was cosy. It provided three floors, which was comprised of an attic, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. The attic was like Sakura's getaway paradise, an escape away from pressure. Books piled up everywhere - of course, it was expected, when her father was a full-time writer. His love and passion for reading was passed onto her. The pinkette would spend eons in the room, reading, daydreaming or just looking out the circular window. More time was spent there than any other place in the house.

Sakura sighed in comfort. Her face was flushed from the heat of the water. Unconsciously, her fingers traced the wound on her forehead that she had hid from her father. Mr. Haruno would hemorrhage if he knew. That man didn't need any more stress, especially when he paid no heed to the doctor's advice.

An abrupt knock on the bathroom door caught Sakura's attention.

"Sakura!" Her dad's muffled voice said through the door.

"Yeah?"

"You're in luck!"

"Why?"

"Your friend's got your lost phone!" Sakura perked up. _What?_ Did he possibly mean... _Gaara_?

"Who is it?" Sakura asked, trying to hide the anxiety in her voice. It could be anyone, she told herself. Sakura wasn't sure where she lost that thing anyway. But if it _was_ Gaara... she couldn't _believe_ he had the guts to call, after what happened. Was he looking for a death wish? Her heart thumped feverishly. Although she wouldn't admit it, some part of her hoped that it was the redhead calling to apologize.

"Some '_Ms. Sabaku_'," Mr. Haruno said. "Who's that anyway, Sakura?" Disappointment stabbed her chest. Of course, it had to be a girl. If it was a boy his father didn't know speaking on the phone, he would get castrated. Ms. Sabaku? Or _Mrs_. Sabaku? Was he talking about Gaara's mother? So Gaara had a mother? He was _lying_? Sakura clenched her fists. It better be Gaara's sister, if he had one.

"Um, one of the customers from work," Sakura answered hesitantly. "Did 'she' leave a number?"

"Yeah, I got it down..."

"'Kay, thanks Dad."

Sakura listened to her dad's footsteps fade away. She felt stiff. All this was reminding her of what Gaara said earlier._ Stop being a conceited bitch and get a hold of yourself..._ She cringed at the words and closed her eyes. How could his mere words hurt so much? Was it because they were true? Sakura felt her confidence go down the drain. Maybe she _was_ a conceited bitch for jumping to the wrong conclusions. For all she knew, Gaara didn't want to wake her up, and that was why he had to sneak his keys back. Maybe she _was_ stuck up, and instead of appreciating him, she vindictively accused him.

Well, it was too late for apologies from her now. At this moment, her dilemma was whether to call them back or not.

* * *

Gaara felt sick.

It was one thing to be in a nice enough mood to give his brother his phone and PSP back.

It was another when he snatches the peculiar-looking pink phone out of Gaara's hand in return.

"Kankuro," Gaara had growled. "Give. It. Back."

"Why should I?" Kankuro ridiculed, dangling the pink device at a height Gaara couldn't reach. The redhead gave his infamous glare. No way was he going to jump like a monkey for it. Gaara cursed inwardly at the height difference.

"Because. I gave you your stuff back," Gaara hissed.

"Well, _I_ gave you dinner. Which you never thanked for by the way."

When things got a little feisty, Temari being the responsible big sister she was, interfered. She stifled a giggle as the two teenage boys glared at her.

"What?" She laughed lightheartedly. "It's not everyday you guys fight over a hot pink thing. Now. _Explain_ - or don't complain to me when you wake up with no hair." Gaara saw Kankuro gulp visibly. Gaara knew Temari meant it - like the rest of the family, no Sabaku's liked things being kept away from them. When Temari accused Kankuro as the owner of the pile of (subscribed) porno magazines left sitting in the bathroom, the cat-lover learnt to quickly come clean, the hard way.

As Kankuro explained the whole Sakura-delivery incident, Gaara saw that he was deliberately avoiding eye contact with him. He could understand why. His eyes must've looked murderous - hell, he _felt_ murderous. He was contemplating on what to do with the phone, but he couldn't now, because Temari confiscated it and vowed to 'sort things out'.

Gaara sighed, but he was surprised when Temari dragged him aside to talk in private. "She'll call back," she said propping the pink phone into his hand. She gave him a knowing smile, as if she had done a good deed. Gaara didn't know whether to thank her or to snap at her. A nod was all he managed before he shut himself in his room, hand clutching Sakura Haruno's phone tightly.

He sat in front of his desk and stared at the pink mobile for God knows how long. When it beeped, he flinched as if it would explode. Then Gaara calmed down - it was just a text message. Was she really going to call back? Should he actually _apologize_? Hell, he never apologized to anyone in his life. What made her so special?

Then the text daunted him. He wanted to go through the photo gallery, the messages, the contacts list, to explore her life.

_Wouldn't that be invading her privacy?_ His conscience pointed out.

To hell with it, he decided. He had no reason to stop. She was the one whose fault it was to have left it there, after all.

But what really disturbed Gaara was the hard thumping in his heart. Was she going to call back or not?

* * *

Sakura Haruno did not call back.

It had been weeks since that day, and Gaara decided to forget all about it. It was a little blip in his life he would like to forget. Forever.

He had more things to worry about anyway. Bumping into that pink-headed girl again was the least of his worries. School, for instance, was something worth stressing more about. It was said that Konoha High differs widely from Suna High - different rules and regulations, different traditions, different uniform, different people. Different.

Truth be told, Gaara couldn't care less.

He doubted that it would be any disparate from his last institution. People would hate him. A few girls would bother and pester him. Fights might get started. He would get suspended, and get back in. Then students would fear him whilst some others challenged him. It was always like that. Teenagers were the same everywhere.

"Stop sulking about it," Kankuro told him. "Temari says Konoha's better for you. Why don't you go out and enjoy yourself? These are the last days of your summer holiday." Gaara rolled his eyes. There was no point in going out. It would mean going downtown. It would mean getting hot and sweaty. It would mean bumping into a certain pinkette...

Gaara sighed and walked around the house for the thousandth time. The time he liked the most in Konoha was probably at night. When crickets chirped, and Kankuro's light snoring could be heard through the ajar door, he was at peace. Gaara liked looking at the moon, and at the enchanting stars. Being an insomniac, it was a great way to pass the time. He wondered what he would be doing in another universe... where he would be if his mother didn't die... Would he be... happy?

"Gaara!" Kankuro's voice rang out. "Phone call for you!"

Gaara groaned. His father had been bothering him a lot lately, so it better not be him.

"Hello?"

"Gaara!"

Gaara blinked. Could this be... ?

"Naruto...?"

* * *

**What do you guys think? :D  
Apologies for making this late! School's finally started, and the stress is kicking in, lol  
Thanks a gazillion to the reviewers, as usual you guys are amazing, you make me happy even when i feel like i'm malfunctioning.**


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